Air cooling apparatus



Dec. 10, 1935. J DUBRQVIN 2,023,876

AIR COOLING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l yzyoivgey' Dec. 10, 1935. J. DU'BROVIN 2,023,876

AIR COOLINGAPPAHATUS Filed Jude-10, 1933 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Decrlo, 1935. J. DUBROVIN AIR COOLING APPARATUS Filed June 10, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Flil/fli' Patented Dec. 10,1935

PATENT OFFICE AIR COOLING APPARATUS John Dubrovin, Chicago, 111., assignor of one-half to Charles He Canode, Chicago, 11].

Application June 10, 1933, Serial No. 675,202 3 Claims. (or 62-139) My invention relates to air cooling apparatus, particularly adapted for cooling air of rooms to provide comfort for the occupants during uncomfortably warm weather. I

The object of my invention is to provide air cooling apparatus of low initial cost, inexpenslve to maintain, simple in operation, compact and portable, and emcient for its intended purposes.

10 My air cooling apparatus has important advantages over prior art constructions which are built on the principle of refrigerators for. food preservation and are obiectionably expensive as to, initial cost and maintenance. My apparatus 15 is designed for the employment of water as the refrigerant, which renders its operation and maintenance very economical.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description.

20 In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of air coolingapparatus embodying my invention, as viewed from the room side of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on 25 the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly as indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

- Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view 30 taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical section of a detail of construction showing the upper part of the room air duct and means for feeding water to the fabric coveringof the duct.

35 Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view, on the same scale as Fig. 5, taken on the line 6-3 of Fig. 5. r I

Fig. '1 is a longitudinal vertical section, on the same scale as Fig. 5, taken on the line of 9,, Fig. 5 and looking in the direction indicated by I the arrows. I

Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of a detail of construction,,taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

45 v Fig. 9 is an enlarged viewof another detailof construction, namely, the water pumping means,

taken on the line 9--3.of Fig. 3, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

In that embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the air vcooling apparatus is located in a window, the window sash I being raised to admit the apparatus into the window casing ll. At each side of the casing II is a grooved guide member l2. The Fooling appara- 55 tus comprises a frame having vertical side strips l3, top channel strips l4, l5, and bottom chan- "nel strips l6, H. The strips l4 and I are telescopic for purposes of adjustment to window openings of different widths, and the same is true 60 of the bottom strips l6, l1, said telescopic strips H fit against the sill'20 of the window. Of'course, 10

the panel l9 may be removed to admit outside air into the room.

Two separate airducts are provided in the apparatus. Room air is circulated througha plurality of conduits, and outside air is circulated through the passageways provided externally of said conduits. A fan 2| draws room air through the screen 22 into a space defined by the front panel 23, rear panels 24, the bottom of the air duct or header 25, and the bottom of the upper 30 header 21. The opening, triangular in cross section; thus formed, leads into the intake header 23, and room air travels as shown by the arrows in Fig. 3, first downwardly, and then upwardly through a plurality of ,flattened pipes 26, 25 theupper ends of which communicate with the header 21, from which cooled air is discharged into a room through the screened opening 28 of the header 21.

A fan 29 draws outside air through the open- 30 ings 30 (Fig. 2), above the vertical walls 30', and as the air is guided by curved vertical walls 3|, 3|, between the top and bottom walls 32,'it enters the space 33 enclosed by headers 21 and 25 on top and bottom, and by the outside of panels 24, and 35 moves toward the fan 29, passing externally of the flattened pipes 23 into the chamber 34, andis discharged by the fan 29 through the circular opening 35.

The fans 2| and 29 are driven by an electric motor 33 horizontally'disposed, centrally of the apparatus, and supported on walls 31, 31, which extend parallel with the pipes 26. The walls 31 provide a narrow air passage for the full length and width of the pipes 23 nearest to the motor, but with the exception of some air that may pass through the motor for cooling it. Passage of air above and below the motor is prevented. 1

rhe end of the motor 36, nearest to the fan 29, carries a sleeve bearing 38, at right angle to the motor shaft 39, Fig. 8, the bearing 33 being located somewhat below the motor shaft 39 and carrying a worm gear 40 meshing with a worm ll on the motor shaft 39. The gear III is pinned to a small shaft 42 which is provided with an eccentrio 43 for actuating the connecting rod 44 linked to bellows 45 of the water pump biock 46, attached to wall 31 below the motor 36. Running of the motor 36 will set the beilows "in reciprocating motion, causing increase and decrease 'of pressure in the bellows and the hollow of the pump block 45.

A water supply tank 41, Figs. 1 and 3, is located under the air circulation ducts. As pressure in the pump is reduced, the atmospheric pressure will forcesome of the water from the supply tank 41 through a rubber hose 45, pump intake nipple 49, andcheck valve into the bellows 45; and the downstroke of the bellows '45 will force the water present in the bellows through ,the check valve 5|, pump discharge nipple 52, and

rubber hose 53, into the water feeding reservoir 54. See Figs. 3, 7 and 9. A water feeding reservoir 54 is located at the top of'thechamber 24 and is in contact with and extends the full length of the header 21. 'On that side facing the header 21, the reservoir 54 is provided with channel shaped prongs 55 extending between and the full width of the pipes 25, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. The prongs 55 support wicks 55 which fill the spaces between the prongs 55 and header 21, and

come in contact with cloth covers 51 of pipes 25,-

as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7. Cloth covers 51' are drawn tightly over the full length of the pipes 25 by any desired means. The wicks 55 are joined by a strip wick 58 which rests in the water the The bottom of the header 25 has a few perforations 5| (Fig. 3), for draining into the supply tank 41 any condensation water deposited by the room air in the tubes 25. An opening 52 through which the overflow tube 59 is led into the supply tank 41 is used for draining small amounts of water that may drip from the lower ends of the pipes 25.

The exterior walls or casing'of the apparatus may be heat insulated by waterproofed pressed wood board, or other means, and the panels 24, curved 'walls 3|, and water feeding reservoir 54. on these surfaces exposed towards the chamber 34, and the surfaces of headers 25 and 21 exposed to the circulating outside air, are preferably lined with heavy canvas. After the apparatus has been positioned within the window casing as heretofore described, and

the water holder 41 has been supplied with water,

the motor is started and very shortly the pump,

actuated by the motorQfills the feeding reservoir 54 for supplying water to the wicks 55-55, and

fromthe wicks 55 to the cloth covers 51 on the tubes 26. Capillary attraction and gravity cause the cloth covers to become saturated with water.

The fan 29 circulates outside air about the outside of the cloth covered tubes 25, which air absorbs the water vapor given ofl from the surface of the cloth, thereby absorbing heat from the tubes. The fan 2| circulates room air through the interior of the tubes 25, the heat of. the air being absorbed by the tubes and transmitted to the water in the cloth covers, from where it is carried off by vapor, asheretofore explained.

The extent to which room temperature may be I reduced depends on the amount of heat the apparatus is capable of discharging. Toobtain discharge of heat of great amount, the heat absorbing and dissipating surface is made large by using a number of comparatively long flat pipes. To increase heat conductance, thin walled pipes of copper are used. The shape of the pipes used is 5 especially favorable for the coo g of room'air, for the air readfly loses its heat when passed in thin layers.

'The room air passing through my cooling apparatus, besides being cooled, also loses some 10 -of its humidity, which in the form of dew is deposited on the cold surfaces, and finally drips into the water supply tank. The air so conditioned becomes more comfortable to the occupants of the room. 15

Changes may be made in details of construction without departing from the scope of my invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exact formshown and described, except as set forth in the appended claims. 20

I claim:-

1. In combination with the sash and casing of a window, air cooling apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in the window casing and separating the room air from out- 25 side air, a plurality of conduits mounted in the housing, said conduits communicating interiorly with the room air, means for circulating room air through the conduits, said conduits providing relatively long air passages small in cross 30 section, means for wetting the conduits exteriorly, means for admitting outside air into the housing in large volume and means for causing said outside air to pass out of the housing after brief con- .tact with the exteriors of the conduits. 35

2. In :ombination with the sash and easing of a window, air cooling apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in the window casing and separatingroom air from outside air, a plurality of vertically disposed, relatively long 0 and narrow conduits communicating interiorly with the room air, means for circulating room air through the conduits, means forwetting the conduits exteriorly, said housing being provided with large openings for the admission and exit 45 of outside air in large volume for carrying off water vaporsfrom the conduits, and means for causing said outside air to travel through the housing in a short path transversely of the conduits, whereby said conduits are traversed by 50 outside air substantially unsaturated by said water vapors.

3. In combination with the sash and casing of a window, air cooling apparatus comprising a housing adapted to be mounted in the window casing and separating room air from outside air,

a motor horizontally disposed within the housing, the motor shaft extending through the inner wall of the housing, a fan mounted on each end of the motor shaft, a plurality of conduits mounted so in the housing, upper andxlower air ducts communicating with the interiors of said conduits and with room air, means for wetting the outside of the conduits, one of said fans'being arranged to circulate, room air through said air 65 ducts and conduits, and the other fan being located in an opening in the outer wall of the hous- 

